He's almost as old as Batman, having made his comics debut in 1940. And this year, Joaquin Phoenix will present his own version of DC Comics' laughing psychopath in the upcoming Warner Bros. Joker movie. With the film rumored to be given an R rating, it seems an adult version of the Clown Prince of Crime will take center stage.

The first trailer, out April 3, puts on a perversely happy face, revealing a dark and potentially disturbing story...

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First Joker trailer has a gritty, dark tone

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Everything we know about the Joker movie

Warner Bros. a few words about the film, describing it to the Hollywood Reporter as an "exploration of a man disregarded by society [that] is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale."

"I wouldn't quite classify this as like any genre," Phoenix said in an interview with ComicBook.com in 2018. "I would not say it's a superhero movie, or a studio movie. Underneath the excitement of these films, and the size of them, there are these incredible characters that are dealing with real life struggles."

Is Batman in it?

It does not look that way. The movie is not connected to the DC Extended Universe series of movies, so it's a different version of the Joker than appeared in Suicide Squad. Bruce Wayne will appear, along with his trusty butler Alfred, and Wayne's ill-fated father, proposing the movie is set before Bruce Wayne was orphaned and set to become Batman.

Is it based on a comic?

Not directly, as far as we can tell. The movie plot seems to be influenced by The Killing Joke, a 1988 comic exploring the Joker's origins written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland. The comics often obscure the Joker's real identity to maintain his mystical nightmarish, but this comic's dark and character-based tone has been hugely influential ever since.

Although it's not directly inspired by the plot of the Killing Joke, we're definitely thinking about the serious and grown-up new movie.

Joaquin Phoenix movies scene for Joker in Brooklyn in September 2018.

Gotham

What we know about the plot

So far, plot details for Joker have been scarce. But on April 2, Warner Bros. Gave a presentation at industry events CinemaCon 2019 in Las Vegas That included a first look at Some footage. Phillips then added a cryptic message about the movie.

"There's been a lot of chatter about what this film is and what it is not," he said. "When the marketing department at Warners asked me the other day to describe the movie, I said 'I can not.' They said at least tell us the genre, and I thought about it for a minute and said, 'It's a tragedy.'"

The first trailer suggests this is an original story for the Joker, whose real name in this version of the story is Arthur. The new video footage shows Arthur in therapy, talking about his mother.

"My mother always tells me to smile," says Arthur in voiceover. "She told me I had a purpose, to bring laughter and joy to the world."

When Arthur is attacked in the street, he decides to fight back. "Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?" Arthur says.

We then see Arthur slowly transforming into the Joker as he tries different clown looks. He goes from a green clown wig to dying his real hair green. Soon he donates to strikes and struts into the world.

"I used to think my life was a tragedy," he says. "But now I realize it's a comedy."

When will Joker hit theaters?

Joker will be released in Australia on Oct. 3, 2019, and then worldwide on Oct. 4.

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